[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   CHILD SAFETY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, I rise today to address an area of 
education which I believe requires more national attention and support. 
Recent tragedies have served as grim reminders that the protection of 
our children from abduction, abuse, and exploitation must be a priority 
not just in families but in communities, law enforcement agencies, and 
educational institutions. The recent, tragic abductions of Polly Klaas 
in California and Sara Wood in New York and similar incidents elsewhere 
have rightfully thrust the heart-wrenching horrors of child 
victimization to the forefront of media coverage, legislative agendas, 
educational institutions, and our Nation's conscience.
  The most recent Department of Justice national annual estimates taken 
in 1988 indicate that there were 114,600 attempted abductions of 
children by nonfamily members, 450,700 runaways, and 438,200 children 
who were lost, injured or otherwise missing. These statistics do not 
paint the whole picture of child victimization since they do not 
scratch the surface of child abuse and molestation. An FBI Law 
Enforcement Bulletin reports that ``like rape, child molestation is one 
of the most underreported crimes, only one to ten percent are ever 
disclosed.''
  Law enforcement agencies serve as our primary resource in the 
investigation of crimes against children and play an integral role in 
some areas of prevention. Law enforcement's tireless efforts in 
protecting our children should be commended and strongly supported and 
the importance of their role in preventing and resolving these tragic 
cases must not be understated. The responsibility of child 
victimization prevention, however, also lies with families and 
educational institutions. Children must be armed with the knowledge 
they need to stay safe and our education system must make a commitment 
to provide comprehensive child safety education programs in our schools 
and other child group settings.
  The challenging task of developing a unique personal safety 
curriculum for children was undertaken by the National Center for 
Missing and Exploited Children and the Adam Walsh Child Resource 
Centers in the mid-1908's through grants and cooperation from the 
private sector. The result of this joint effort was the introduction in 
1988 of a comprehensive child safety program for children from 
kindergarten through grade six called Kids & Company Together for 
Safety. I, along with many of my colleagues from both sides of the 
aisle, including Senators Biden, Thurmond, Simon, McConnell, 
Metzenbaum, and D'Amato, have long been supporters of the efforts of 
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the mission of 
which is to assist in national efforts to locate and recover missing 
children and raise public awareness about ways to prevent child 
abduction, molestation and exploitation. The center's success, with 
private sector assistance, in developing and distributing an effective, 
comprehensive child safety curriculum should be applauded. Since 1992 
alone, the nationally recognized and critically acclaimed Kids & 
Company curriculum has been taught in over 4,000 classrooms in 34 
states. Kids & Company has been endorsed by the National Education 
Association, National School Boards Association, National Association 
of Secondary School Principals, The National Children's Advocacy 
Center, American Association of School Administrators, and the Boys and 
Girls Clubs of America.
  Just as we have combined the efforts of law enforcement with 
education in the battle against drugs and violence in our schools 
through programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education, [DARE] and 
Gang Resistance Education and Training, [GREAT], so too must we marshal 
our efforts in attacking the problem of child victimization. In fact, 
self-protection training provided through the DARE program directly 
contributed to the recent, successful escape by a 12-year-old girl in 
Massachusetts from the attempted abduction by a suspected serial killer 
who was subsequently apprehended.
  Mr. President, the time has come to encourage, urge, and support the 
use of child safety education programs in our schools. Costs are 
minimal and are frequently handled though private sector grants and 
assistance. Kids & Company has not only taught children ways to avoid 
the risks of abuse, abduction and physical harm, it has also helped to 
stop it. In the six States where the curriculum was initially piloted, 
dozens of school children came forward to disclose their own abuse and 
requested intervention in stopping it. Kids & Company provides children 
with skills, information, self-confidence and support, enhances self-
esteem and helps prevent abduction and abuse. It provides information 
and materials to assist teachers and parents in instructing children 
and properly handling reports of abuse.
  Kids & Company has been heralded by a wide spectrum of educators, 
psychologists, child protection workers, lawyers, administrators, 
parents, and community leaders. Surveys conducted on child safety 
programs found that the most effective programs were those given over a 
period of years and involve parents in the process. Many programs which 
involve one-time instruction have been deemed inadequate and limited in 
scope. Comprehensive, constructive, long-term education involving 
parents and teachers will play a vital role in combatting crimes 
against children and Kids & Company serves as an excellent standard.
  Effective child safety programs such as Kids & Company, are available 
for little or no cost. It is incumbent upon all of us to make our 
communities aware of effective programs, urge their use and encourage 
companies, associations, and clubs to assist in acquiring these 
programs for our schools and institutions which serve our children. I 
commend the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and 
their private sector partners for their efforts in developing the 
comprehensive child safety program, Kids & Company, and facilating its 
distribution to so many schools and children throughout the Nation.
  I intend to encourage the support and assistance by the private 
sector in promoting child safety education in my home State of Arizona 
and I urge all of my colleagues to initiate and support similar efforts 
in their respective States.

                          ____________________